Section: US & Canada
Sweden Confirms It Launched A Second Hunt For A Suspected Russian Submarine In October
Sweden’s military spokesman confirmed on Jan. 11 that the country had carried out a second search for a suspected Russian submarine just shortly after a high-profile sub hunt concluded in late October. Military spokesman Jesper Tengroth confirmed that Sweden carried out a second search for a Russian submarine on Oct. 31, 2014. This second...
NATO’s Rapid-Response Force Now Operational
BERLIN—NATO’s secretary-general says a core version of the alliance’s new agile expeditionary force is now operational. Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday that the interim force is made up of troops from Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and “some others.” He says “an interim solution is in place and we are focused...
Russia Delays Mistral Legal Action Against France Until February
Russia has delayed legal action against France for its failure to deliver the Vladivostok helicopter-landing ship until February, according to a Wednesday report from the RIA Novosti news agency. The ship, which is the first of two contracted to be built by French defense company DCNS for the Russian navy, was delayed amid escalating...
Russian Finance Minister Warns on Spending as Crisis Deepens
Russia’s finance minister called on Wednesday for a cut in planned spending to weather an economic crisis, warning of a more than $45 billion drop in revenues this year if the average oil price is $50 a barrel. In comments underlining the government’s growing concern at the downturn, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said all budget...
Russia’s message to France – turn over Mistral-class warship or give us our money back
The French procurement office is declining to comment on a report that Russia has asked for a written statement on whether the Mistral class helicopter carrier will be delivered to Moscow, writes my Defense News colleague Pierre Tran. The Russian news agency RIA Novosti has reported that Russia officially sent a written request to France for an...
Canadian tour in memory of the Ukrainian genocide
They collapsed and died in the street, they died in their beds, and in the fields. In the midst of plenty, millions of Ukrainians died of starvation in 1932-33. It is known as the Holodomor- loosely translated as “death by starvation”, but also colloquially known as the “terror-famine”. It was a direct result of Josef Stalin’s poorly...
Russia Economic Crisis Forces Budget Cuts
MOSCOW—Russian government officials appealed for calm on Wednesday after predicting budget cuts and a further surge in inflation as the country faces its worst economic downturn in 15 years. With the currency and economy wilting under the twin blows of Western sanctions and a fall in the price of oil exports, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov...
Merkel: Ukraine summit still possible, but unclear when
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she isn’t giving up hope of organizing a summit with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, but she can’t say how long that might take after tentative plans for a meeting this week were scrapped. Foreign ministers from Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine failed on Monday to achieve enough...
Germany’s Merkel: not giving up on possible Ukraine summit, but unclear when it might happen
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she isn’t giving up hope of organizing a summit with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, but she can’t say how long that might take after tentative plans for a meeting this week were scrapped. …read more Source: FOX...
FPs Situation Report: In new video, al Qaeda claims credit for Paris attack despite lack of proof; New issue of ‘Charlie Hebdo’ raises concerns of more violence; McCain stymies Obama’s plans to close Guantanamo; and much more.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat No fingerprints? No matter: Al Qaeda boosts its profile through Charlie Hebdo attack — despite no proof that it was directly involved. Senior defense officials and experts tell Foreign Policy that it’s unlikely al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was behind last week’s horrifying attack against the...
